Speech Therapy
According to the Portuguese Association of Speech Therapists, the Speech Therapist is “the professional responsible for the prevention, assessment, intervention and scientific study of human communication disorders, encompassing not only all the functions associated with understanding and expressing oral and written language, but also other forms of non-verbal communication. Speech Therapists also intervene in swallowing”.
Speech Therapists can intervene in all age groups, from newborns to the elderly, in terms of communication, oral language, written language, verbal articulation, fluency, voice, swallowing and oro-facial motor skills, with the aim of improving quality of life at a personal, social, academic and/or professional level (ASHA, 2007).
Most common disorders:
- Delayed language development
- Specific language development disorder
- Reading and writing disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dysorthography)
- Acquired language disorders (aphasia, dysphasia, dyscalculia)
- Articulation disorders (sigmatism)
- Motor speech disorders (dysarthria, dysphonia, dysphemia or stuttering)
Warning signs:
- Do you have difficulties learning at school?
- Do you have any difficulties or delays in your development?
- Are you always hoarse?
- Does your profession strain your voice?
- Can’t say some speech sounds?
- Do you stutter?
- Do you find it difficult to make yourself understood or to understand what others are saying to you?
- Do you have trouble communicating?
- Do you have difficulty chewing or swallowing food?
Drª. Ana Catarina Gaspar
Speech Therapist
Drª. Raquel Machado
Speech Therapist